2023 Santa Cruz 5010 Review

Meeting the Santa Cruz 5010

When it rains, it pours around here, and for that reason, the review dogs gifted me two Santa Cruz Bikes to pedal around this summer.

The Hightower launch in Oakridge got a little sidetracked when I was asked to come have a peek inside the Demo trailer for something fun. A lot of shhhhhhs and quiet words were spoken to stay on the DL. On the last day of the Hightower media camp, a select few were to ride the soon to be released Santa Cruz 5010. I was slightly hesitant to jump on a new platform while still trying to dissect the bird at hand. I said, "what the hell“ and settled on a beautiful grey medium 5010 CC AXS RSV.

The bars were already at 760mm and suspension set to body weight for a 170 lb geared-up rider. A quick bounce around in the parking lot hinted at the intentions of the 5010. Lively, agile and eager to manual. Being the last day of the trip, I was riding looser, bolder and learning to trust the traction that was improving by the minute. It wasn’t until halfway into the day I looked at the bike laying down on its side with a flat tire, I noticed the 29/27.5 mixed wheels. Santa Cruz had snuck one past me. Shaking my head in disbelief, I helped 5 others that were also dealing with flats on that same section of trail.

The Santa Cruz 5010 or SOLO as it’s referred to in some circles, has always been a smaller-wheeled, short-travel play bike. A bike that is made famous by the likes of "Handy" MacAskill, Loosedog Lewis and Ratboy, each throwing it around in effortless fashion. It has been a bmxers mountain bike in a sense. The grownup kids who didn’t want to be caught riding around on little kids' bikes had an escape route with the small but burly 5010.

Watching Loosedog do feeble grinds, fakies and barspins that look absolutely out of place on a carbon trail bike, it was an era where mountain bike videos took a turn for the lowfi, dadcam approach. This was a delightful throwback to alot of us Midschool bmxers, who wasted countless hours of sessioning a ledge, jump or even a flat asphalt parking lot. Hey, it was the way of life back then.

This gave the 5010, and the marketing behind it, a very unique and urban feel. Was it the perfect trick to sell mountain bikes to non-mountain bikers? A bike to cruise around town and hit some jumps, a bike for the trail centres that didn’t require long travel machines? I am not informed of the sales numbers but I doubt there were many bikes left over on the showroom floors at the end of the season.

The Bike

For the long term review, a fiery red medium 5010 CC X01 AXS RSV showed up. That means, a highest-end carbon frame with Sram X01 AXS shifting and Reserve 30|HD wheels with Industry 9 hubs. Wrapped in Maxxis DHR II tires with proper compounds, the 140mm 2023 RockShox Pike and 130mm Super Deluxe Ultimate were twisted to following settings.

Fork

80psi
HSC +1
LSC 0
Rebound 10 clicks from Closed

Shock

170psi
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LSC 0
Rebound 5 clicks from Closed

It had some dirt on it hinting at previous use, and some left over candy in the Glove Box that Seb Kemp made kept for himself on the hand off. And, like a red 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione Gr.4 from 1971 Le Mans, it was bold and loud.

The previous rider was from a right little, tight little Island and had the brakes swapped, obviously the WRONG way. With Sram G2 brakes and 200 mm front 180 rotor out back, the process was dead simple. I do like the symmetrical construction of the Sram levers allowing for a quick, bleed free swap from left to right. What they lacked in power in the past for me, they make up for in this convenience. However for a bike of this calibre, I wasn’t too fussed about the most powerful brakes I could get my hands on. The G2 RSCs and a 200 mm rotor would do just fine.

We had gotten along quite well on our first day together but I was waiting to see if my bike riding, product testing and dissecting skills were actually up to snuff. Sometimes I get caught in the moment and don’t focus enough on trying to understand a product's intentions. I promised myself to pay attention and be present for this very first (but actually second) ride.

There is a road climb of about 5-6 city blocks before I dip into the forest for prime North Shore single track climbing. Said road climb allows me to assess the bike and the components to see if there are any tweaks needed. Shifting was crisp, bars, (cut to 760 by the previous tester) and the control levers felt perfect and each pedal stroke propelled me forward; calm and soft motion. Having been on the 5010 prior I knew the suspension was fairly progressive at somewhere around 30%. Anti Squat numbers were said to be kept low to access the 130 mms of travel eagerly. This made for a softer pedalling bike despite what the travel numbers would suggest.

I like progressive shorter-travel bikes and I prefer a more linear curve on bikes with bigger travel numbers. Progressiveness makes short travel bikes feel bottomless and lets you sit in the sweet spot of the travel and push off of it. The reduction in anti squat from the previous generation also made for some bobbing. I didn’t mind it but the feeling was not energetic. I may have dropped an extra drop or two of sweat on the thirsty forest floor. On paved roads, I did not love how the 5010 pedaled.

On top of my steep road climb, which usually takes me 14 to 16 minutes, I was fresh enough to keep going up to the powerlines that is my mid climb 'smoke break' spot. Between 35 and 40 minutes is decent for me. The 5010 got to the power lines in a hurry once the tires hit the singletrack. Punchy moves were a breeze on the mixed wheel bike and out of corner efforts were extremely rewarding. I got to the top in 35 minutes flat and surprised myself a little, considering my lack of summer fitness and how soft the bike felt on asphalt. Which goes to show that parking lot tests never tell the whole story.

The 77° Seat tube angle put me in a nice, forward position. The 456mm reach, while making the top tube length slightly short, made the bike feel really lively on the climb. It was easy to steer around loose rocks and diagonal roots that would deflect the wheels. While out of saddle efforts were a little trickier with the shorter top tube, I managed to keep my boney knees away from the stem's sharp edges. A 434mm rear centre is not short for this medium bike. Stop asking for longer and longer rear ends and enjoy the endless manuals you will be throwing at every opportune moment. The rear center grows on all Santa Cruz bikes, the XXL gets a 443mm rear center while the XS is 429mm in low mode.

Many thought Santa Cruz ruined a good thing by putting a big wheel on the front of the much-loved 5010. The only small-wheeled fun machine of the line up was no longer and the simplicity of the platform was compromised. The reality is not that simple however and in many ways, the new bike is more capable, faster, easier to handle and still a boatload of fun. The stubborn few are already solving the problem by speccing a 150 or 160 fork and running dual 27.5" wheels. For a bike that needs a longer fork to live happily around here, it may be a good way to go. It is a free country.

I've often wondered about the 5010, Bronson and Nomad line-up and how they intersect with each other without stepping on toes. The little 5010 and the big Nomad share much in ideology. Is the Bronson the perfect mixed wheel sized bike from Santa Cruz? While I dont have a lot of time on the Bronson or the Nomad, I have ridden with people on the same ride and we all had our version of fun on the trail.

Set to 32% sag or thereabouts, the 5010 puts you in a very confidence inspiring position to tackle the terrain. The low slung top tube disappears underneath you and the only thing I wished for was a Reverb dropper with at least 180mm, if not longer. I didn't hesitate to take the little bike on trails generally reserved for the Nomads and Megatowers. The plush VPP suspension did its thing flawlessly and made me think I had more travel than promised; no harsh bottom outs or moments of terror any more than I would have on a bigger bike. Sure I had to be more precise with my wheel placement and timing off steep approaches. I knew my line choices were narrower than on bigger bikes. The 5010 did not care as long as I fully committed myself to the move. Which is where things got tiring. The 140mm Pike with Buttercups, as plush and supportive as it is, just wasn't enough fork on eroded, messy and consequential North Shore trails. Keep in mind these trails are not representative of what most riders encounter day-to-day. On lower-angled blues and blacks, the bike came fully alive and let me have my cake and eat it too. Doubles became triples, and roots became launching pads to landings that don't exist. The trails became more fun, not less. I wanted second servings of everything.

Which is where the beauty of the 5010 lies. It seems like it was designed to make biking more fun. Whether it is on the mountain or at a skills park, the platform allows you to push into the bike with force and get rewarded with upward trajectory. Never have I ridden a bike that is as eager to get airborne and carve as the 5010; mentally pointing at things on the trail and challenging myself to manual to the next corner or see if I can hit the branches hanging over the trail with my head.

It's a bike that likes to steer with the rear wheel and ride off the back as much as possible. It rewards a rear-biased weight distribution for the most part. If you let the fork skip over things, there is less disturbance to the chassis on faster, flowier trails. When it comes to hucking it, you better come in with speed as the 140mm Pike although excellent in feel, is just not enough fork to keep the front-end from tucking under on the North Shore. I found I had to either over pressurize or dial the High Speed Compression in to create a buffer zone.

There were times I wished for a 150 or 160 mm fork, and then I asked myself why didn't I choose a Bronson instead? Looking at the geometry numbers, the bikes are almost identical apart from less than half a degree in headtube and seat tube angles. What it comes down to how they use the travel numbers they have. The feedback from the 5010's suspension is addicting on so many levels and the Bronson robs some of that instant reward, muting the trail too much and bogging down on flatter terrain.

The Nomad is a whole other story and that is perfectly fine. It is designed for big riding on risky features. Steep rolls with abrupt G-Outs are a delicacy for the Nomad owner. If I was stuck in a position to make a decision between these three bikes, I would pick the Bronson for an amalgamation of characteristics of both the 5010 and the Nomad. If money was less of an issue, I would opt for a lower end Nomad and a higher end 5010 for my fleet. It makes sense to deck out the little bike that will get ridden more on quick lunch loops or after work hammerfests, maybe session some jumps or see if I can manual my entire block. The Nomad can be a brawler for riding with a rowdy crew and having more room for error with a longer stroke shock, slack head angle and a much stiffer frame.

Who is it for?

This particular bike is for someone with a 14,000 CAD credit card limit. It is a pricy bike. If my trails allowed for full time tom foolery, I would consider shelling out that kind of money on a superbike. But if we are talking second bike for some mellow days out on the trails, the R Carbon C MX model will clock in at 7000 CAD and I'm sure you can sweet talk your way to low 6s with your LBS. If you are a Juliana fan or a rider coming in at less than 150lbs, I'd promptly look into a Furtado that Karin Grubb recently reviewed. With its lighter tune Super Deluxe, it will access the travel more readily and will be infinitely easier to tune. The Reserve 30|HD wheels required nothing and they hold spoke tension perfectly to this day. Even the infamous Reverb post still stands nice and tall and doesn't sag like some of its cousins.

I see the value of this bike on the North Shore for alot of people. Ideally it is a bike for 90% of the riders out there; enough travel and decent geometry to clean every sanctioned trail and still be able to go to AirRec center or the soon to come North Shore Bike Park. It is a bike that loves to be thrown around and sessioned. Under an expert it is an incredible toy that allows for ultimate fun. Under a newbie it's just a great all-rounder and a skill building tool.

2023 Santa Cruz 5010